Fahrenheit 451 (1)

Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury

Curriculum UnitVictoria M. Jones

ii Fahrenheit 451

Curriculum Unit AuthorVictoria M. Jones earned her M.A. in English from the University of Mis-souri at Kansas City. The recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, she is certified in gifted education. She has also taught methods courses on the university level and was a fellow at the Summer Institute for the National Writing Project. She is the author of The Center for Learning novel/drama curriculum units The Metamorphosis/The Death of Ivan Ilyich, The Power of One, and The Book Thief.

EditorsMary Anne Kovacs, M.A.Tammy Sanderell, B.A.

Cover DesignSusan Chowanetz Thornton, B.S.Cover illustration of books on fire iStockphoto.com/Franc Podgorek

www.centerforlearning.org

Copyright 2011 The Center for Learning, Cleveland, Ohio.Manufactured in the United States of America.

Printed on recycled paper.

This curriculum unit is a revision of the 1990 edition created by Ann S. Kemezis.

The worksheets in this book may be reproduced for academic purposes only and not for resale. Academic purposes refer to limited use within classroom and teaching settings only.

ISBN 978-1-56077-952-0

Fahrenheit 451 iii

Page Handouts

Contents

Introduction v

Teacher Notes vii

Lessons 1 Prereading Activities 1 1, 2, 3, 4 2 Investigating Part 1 11 5, 6, 7 3 Book Burning 19 8, 9 4 Exploring Irony 25 10, 11 5 The Future Is Now 31 12, 13 6 Allusions: Making Connections 37 14, 15, 16 7 Specific, Concrete Imagery 45 17, 18, 19 8 Hidden Meanings: Archetypes and Symbols 53 20, 21, 22 9 I Am the Book 63 23, 24 10 Unasked Questions 69 25, 26, 27

Supplementary Materials Objective Test: Fahrenheit 451 76 Answer Key 79 Creative Assessment: Fahrenheit 451 82 Essay Test: Fahrenheit 451 83

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Fahrenheit 451 v

Introduction

Reading Ray Bradburys Fahrenheit 451 in the twenty-first century is as exciting as when it was first published in 1953. Probably Bradburys most famous and influential novel, this work of science fiction explores a not-too-distant future when citizens are forced to conform and books are banned and burned. Written during the Cold War and the era of Mc-Carthyism, this novel also addresses the destructive capacity of totalitarian government. The early 1950s was also the time period when Americas love affair with television and mass communication began. Bradbury indicts consumerism and dependency on technology by illustrating how creativ-ity and individuality are destroyed by rampant advertising and intrusive government control. Another intriguing aspect of this novel is Bradburys distinctive style, which combines a suspenseful story line with poetic devices such as allu-sions, figurative language, and sensory imagery. Bradburys preoccupation with humanism is also illustrated by the sentimental value of friendship and loyalty over visionary technology. The social commentary that is both satirical and optimistic is never simplistic or predictable. Most of all, Brad-bury celebrates the spirit of human imagination. These ten lessons on Fahrenheit 451 emphasize the relevancy of this book. Ray Bradbury questions societys overreliance on technology. Brad-bury argued that this book is not about government censorship, but about the potential of television (and by extension all forms of visual and social media) to replace books, causing us to forget how to think. This concern about the loss of critical thinking is a topic explored often in educational journals; therefore, much of the material in this curriculum unit empha-sizes critical thinking through inquiry, questioning, analysis, discussion, and Socratic seminar. Additionally, the spirit of individualism celebrated in the book is addressed through reflections, journal entries, and text-to-self activities.

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Fahrenheit 451 vii

Teacher Notes

Because of the high interest of this book, its relative brevity, and the authors engaging style, Fahrenheit 451 is traditionally taught in the early years of high school. While the reading level is around seventh grade, older students relate better to the topics explored. This work of science fiction is also engaging for reluctant readers. The unit begins with prereading activities that increase anticipation for the reading of a dystopian novel. Student ownership of the text begins with a text rendering of the first two pages, followed by further reflection, text-to-self activities, and journaling. Since the novel is divided into three parts, subsequent lessons in this unit work best when a part has been read in its entirety. Lesson 2 centers on one character who has the integrity to stand up to the totalitarian government, the innocent Clarisse. In the spirit of this individual who dares to ask questions, this lesson focuses on the writing of dense or complex questions. Lesson 3 also relates to the expo-sition of part 1 by examining the atrocity of book burning. The activities for part 2 include an examination of irony and a compari-son of the science fiction to actual technology today. Subsequent lessons address the distinctive style of the entire novel by focusing on the meaning of allusions, imagery, symbols, and archetypes. A cumulative activity cen-ters on the formative value of literature, and the unit ends with a Socratic seminar that serves as both an informal assessment of understanding and a review before the final test. Critical thinking and inquiry are enhanced by various assessments throughout the unit. They include a round-robin discussion, a brief essay on irony, a creative presentation on an allusion, and connected readings to relevant poetry. Final assessments include an objective test, a creative assessment, and essay questions. Throughout, students have many oppor-tunities to reflect on the themes and the significance of this novel through brainstorming, free-writing, and journal entries. Answers to handouts will vary unless otherwise indicated. Students may need additional paper to complete some handouts. Reading assignments for the novel are as follows:

Part 1 for Lessons 2 and 3

Part 2 for Lessons 4 and 5

Part 3 for Lessons 6, 7, and 8

Entire novel for Lessons 9 and 10

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Fahrenheit 451 1

Lesson 1

Prereading Activities

Objectives

To define the genre of this novel, dystopia To develop inquiry into background components of the novel through

a WebQuest To apply the reading strategy of text rendering

Notes to the Teacher

In this prereading lesson, students examine a variety of topics to estab-lish context for the work and to build anticipation for reading. Additionally, prereading activities such as text rendering and a four-square vocabulary hunt increase students interest in this unforgettable book, still as popular with students today as it was when it was first published. As an introduction to the novel, students can use the official Ray Bradbury Web site. It is advisable to guide the students. Once students are introduced to the author and the book, a before-reading activity that includes speculation about the title and images on the cover works well. To build on understanding, another prereading activity, the four-square vocabulary search, informs students about the specific genre of this work, dystopian literature. Building on this information, students are next involved in a WebQuest activity. This is constructed as a type of scavenger hunt with groups of students dividing up the tasks to find out pertinent background information about Bradburys beliefs and about the novel. Finally, another important strategy to immerse students into this book is to conduct a text rendering on the first seven paragraphs of the book. Text rendering is a during-reading activity that promotes interac-tion between students and the text, allowing for text-to-self connections. Examining single words, phrases, and sentences provides a means for stu-dents to begin to appreciate and connect to Bradburys uses of figurative language and a rich imagination.

Procedure

1. Distribute Handout 1, which works best when the book is first as-signed, before any reading assignments have been made. Discuss impressions about the title, author, and genre.

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Suggested Responses

TitleStudents may question why the title is scientific. What is the importance of the temperature? Explain that this will be made clear later, but point out how very hot that must be. Wa-ter boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, for example. The image on the cover of the Random House commemorative edition, which features the original cover art of the Ballantine hard-cover, depicts a man covered in what appears to be newsprint, standing on books, all of which are aflame. The tone is omi-nous, and the tattered cover images front and back connote neglect.

AuthorThe official Ray Bradbury Web site reveals that the author has published more than five hundred works. A self-taught and prolific writer, he loved his work. Use the videos embedded on the Web site to illustrate Bradburys whimsy and appeal.

GenreThe book is a novel (fiction) in three parts. Each part has a very telling title. Additionally, in most editions of the book, there is an afterword and coda in the authors own voice.

2. Distribute Handout 2. Have students work individually to fill in all four boxes for either the word dystopia or the term dystopian literature. Direct students to use dictionaries and the Internet to complete the sections.

Suggested Responses

Definition or DescriptionDystopian literature illustrates a society that is repressive, although it pretends to be benefi-cent. Dystopian societies feature different kinds of repressive governmental organizations. Many pieces of dystopian lit-erature explore the concept that technology has progressed too rapidly. Dystopian societies are often depicted as police states with unlimited power over citizens. A dystopia is then a utopian society with at least one fatal flaw. While a utopia is founded on a vision of a good life, dystopian societies il-lustrate damaging situations.

Etymology, History, Synonyms, and AntonymsThe word derives from the ancient Greek dys meaning bad or ill and the ancient Greek topia meaning place or landscape. Other forms could be caco-topia and a synonym would be anti-utopia. The opposite would be utopia or an ideal society. Thomas More in 1516 originally coined the term utopia. John Stuart Mill used the term dystopia for the first time in 1868, to criticize the British governments Irish land policy.

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Classic and Current Examples of This GenreExamples in-clude 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, Anthem by Ayn Rand, and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess. Many students will be familiar with such contemporary examples as The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, The Giver by Lois Lowry, and The Uglies by Scott Westerfield.

Illustration, Symbol, LogoEncourage students to share their images and explain them to the class.

3. Divide students into teams to complete the WebQuest on Handout 3. Conduct it like a scavenger hunt.

Suggested Responses

1. Walking one evening and being stopped by a policeman who questioned what he was doing inspired Bradbury to write a short story, The Pedestrian, which then became the begin-ning of Fahrenheit 451. The policemans questioning enraged Bradbury as he simply was enjoying a walk after dinner. It is interesting to note that Bradbury never obtained a drivers license.

2. Bradbury never attended college. Libraries were his primary source of education. He graduated from high school during the Great Depression. The Web site claims that he went to the library three days a week for about ten years.

3. Bradbury expressed dislike for the term science fiction. He did see Fahrenheit 451 as science fiction but felt that it was based on reality. Science fiction to him is a depiction of reality. He saw fantasy as a depiction of the unreal, which is what most of his works are about. An interesting related question would be how would students define science fiction, given Bradburys beliefs.

4. Fahrenheit 451 was published in 1953, during the Cold War, a time of suspicion and tension.

5. In 1966, an adaptation of the novel was filmed, directed by Franois Truffaut. Julie Christie played both Clarisse and Mrs. Montag, which was not a very good casting concept. Os-kar Werner played Guy Montag. The movie was not generally well received.

6. The true purpose of Fahrenheit 451 is to criticize the potential of television to replace books, causing people to forget how to think for themselves. Bradbury insisted the book was not meant to be a satire on government control.

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7. Key titles that students might enjoy include The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Dandelion Wine. There are many short stories of note as well. Encourage students to explain why specific titles appeal to them.

8. Ray Bradbury received many, many honors and awards, in-cluding the National Medal of Arts presented by President George W. Bush in 2004. He also received a special citation from the Pulitzer Board in 2007. Fahrenheit 451 received the National Book Award. There is even an asteroid named in Bradburys honor, as well as a crater on the moon called Dandelion Crater.

9. The book states that 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the tempera-ture at which books burn. Bradbury took some literary license with this temperature, though, as paper combusts anywhere from 424 to 474 degrees Fahrenheit. At one point, in its shorter form, this work was called, The Fireman. Encourage discussion on why the actual title is superior in connotation.

10. Bradburys hatred of overreliance on any form of technology is evident. On one occasion, he was taking a walk and a hus-band and wife walking their dog passed him. The sight of the woman listening to her transistor radio on headphones abso-lutely stunned him. She was oblivious to both her husband and their dog, immersed in her own world.

4. Have students read the opening pages of the novel and complete Handout 4. Build on students understanding of the first seven para-graphs by asking the following questions: What is the impact on the reader of the famous first line of this

novel? (Encourage students to realize the implicit horror in the idea of pleasure in destruction.)

What are some of the negative metaphors in the opening para-graphs? (The nozzle is referred to as a snake spewing venom. The hands of the fireman are compared to those of a conductor direct-ing some macabre symphony. Fire is constantly referenced. Books are compared to dying pigeons.)

Why does Montag see himself as a minstrel man? (Like white actors who played black stereotypes in minstrel shows, Montags face is blackened by the fire he has conducted. This image is fur-thered by the wide smile of delight.)

What colors dominate the text on the first two pages? (The red and yellow of fire is dominant, but the color black is as well.)

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What is the effect of the negative use of color and imagery? (There is an ominous tone. A person who has just set a terrible fire and then goes about his business whistling as he catches the subway is disconcerting.)

5. Assign students to finish reading the first part of the novel, The Hearth and the Salamander.

6 Fahrenheit 451 COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learning. Used with permission. Not for resale.

Name:Lesson 1 Handout 1

Guidelines for Reading LiteratureDirections: As you experience Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, try to become an active reader. Re-spond to the following prompts.

1. Prereading Think about the following topics before you start to read.

Title Speculate on the meaning of the title. Consider the graphics on the cover for information

about the contents and meaning of the book. What tone is created by the title and cover art?

Author Knowing about authors can help us understand their works. Record details about Ray Brad-

bury which you think will help you understand his work.

Genre Identifying the structure of the work can help you understand what to expect while read-

ing it. After browsing through the book, record the most important details about the novels format.

2. Read As you read this book, make it active reading by doing the following: annotate by using sticky

notes to identify key passages; record questions as they occur; and consider the basic elements of narration such as plot, character, setting, theme, and point of view, as well as rhetorical elements.

3. Review To prepare for class discussions, do the following after each reading assignment: free-write on

ideas and images; respond by using statements (immediate reactions) or questions; and compose dense questions on the five basic elements of narration.

Fahrenheit 451 7 COPYRIGHT, The Center for Learning. Used with permission. Not for resale.

Name:

Vocabulary SearchFour SquareDirections: Fill in completely each section of the four-square form below. Use a dictionary or Inter-net resources as needed. Use colored pencils or markers to draw a symbol or logo.

Word or term: ______________________

Lesson 1 Handout 2

Illustration, Symbol, Logo

Definition or Description Etymology, History, Synonyms, and Antonyms

Classic and Current Examples of This Genre


Name:

Questions about Ray BradburyDirections: Use the Internet to answer the following questions. Use the official Ray Bradbury Web site as your main source of information.

1. What event in his life inspired Ray Bradbury to write Fahrenheit 451?

2. Did Ray Bradbury attend college? What did he say is his primary source of education?

3. What does Bradbury say about categorizing his work as science fiction?

4. When was Fahrenheit 451 written and published? What important world events of that time may have influenced Bradbury?

5. Has a movie been made for Fahrenheit 451? If so, was it successful? Why or why not?

Lesson 1 Handout 3 (page 1)


Name:Lesson 1 Handout 3 (page 2)

6. What did Ray Bradbury say is the true purpose of Fahrenheit 451?

7. What other works did Ray Bradbury write? Which of those titles might you recommend for reading? Why?

8. What are some honors Ray Bradbury received?

9. What is the significance of the temperature of 451 degrees Fahrenheit? Did Bradbury consider any other titles?

10. What do you think Bradbury would say about overreliance on the Internet and social media?


Name:Lesson 1 Handout 4

Text Rendering for the Opening Pages of Fahrenheit 451Directions: Carefully read the first few pages of the novel. Then complete the following activities.

1. Choose one word that you particularly like. Write that word below.

2. From the same section of text, select a phrase (two or more words, but not a complete sen-tence) that appeals to you. Write that phrase below.

3. Choose one sentence that is beautifully written and that you think conveys meaning. Write that sentence below.

4. Take one of the three text renderings above, and reflect in writing for a few minutes about why you like that text and how it connects to you. Be prepared to share your reflection.

5. Finally, write one question about what you are wondering after this activity. What hanging question do you still have about the text?

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Lesson 2

Investigating Part 1

Objectives

To analyze Clarisse McClellan as a dynamic, complex character To develop dense questions by using the reporters formula To apply critical questioning skills in a round-robin discussion


In the first part of the novel, the reader learns that Clarisse did not fit in at school because she asked tough questions that had no obvious an-swers. Asking why is a fundamental right of a democratic education, and this type of challenging thinking should be encouraged. In the dystopian world of Fahrenheit 451, education is rote at best. The result of this type of soporific education is that at the end of the day Clarisses peers just want to sleep or run amok and create violence by going to a dystopian version of a Fun Park. The first strategy of this lesson focuses on the enigmatic character of Clarisse. According to Montag, she thinks too many things. She also seems so much older and wiser than her years, and she disappears from the novel after this section. You may need to conduct a mini-lesson on grammar, focusing on the part of speech of adjectives. To emphasize the necessity of asking questions, Lesson 2 next guides students through a scaffolded activity to create questions at the application or analysis level of Blooms Taxonomy and then to answer those questions in a round-robin discussion. At this point, conduct a mini-lesson in writ-ing questions above the comprehension or knowledge level of Blooms Taxonomy. First, introduce students to the concept of the Reporters Formula: Every reporter for a newspaper or magazine, online or in text, knows that readers care about six things when they read an article. Using the ws when writing questions can help any writer know where to begin. The reporters formula is as follows: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And How? Next, establish that the questions students are asked to create for this lesson need to be beyond the level of knowledge (memory) or comprehension (understanding). For example, a shallow question might be Who is Captain Beatty? A dense question would be Who becomes a foil to Guy Montag, and why does this person pose a threat?

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Tell students that one writes questions at the application level when trying to figure out situations that are new or unfamiliar, such as the world of Fahrenheit 451. Verbs for questions of this type include the following: predict tell how, when, where, why, identify the results of, or judge. Next, when one analyzes, the task involved is to break down the unfa-miliar into parts. Leads for questions on this level include the following: What assumptions, What conclusions, State the point of view of, Whats the relationship between, and What inconsistencies or fallacies. . . . Questions that lead with the interrogative why are also appropriate for this level. Emphasize that dense questions dig at meaning and that questions of this type challenge assumptions or misperceptions. Presumably, some of the questions that arise from part 1 of Fahrenheit 451 will include the many allusions that enhance meaning throughout this novel. Defining allusion as a literary term at this point is key in establishing a foundation for the rest of the novel and preparing for an activity later in this unit. In a mini-lesson, define the term allusion and list the various types that students will encounter in their readings: cultural, historical, mythological or classical, biblical, literary, etc. An allusion is a reference in a literary work to a person, place, myth, or thing in history or another work of literature with which the reader is presumably familiar. Allusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events.

Procedure

1. Explain that adjectives help to make characters come alive. Encour-age students to think about the character of Clarisse McClellan and to review part 1 for ways that the author makes her seem real by direct description, by reactions of others to her, and by her dialogue.

2. Distribute Handout 5, and ask students to complete the graphic or-ganizer. (Bradbury says that Clarisse is slender and pale with bright eyes. She is compared to moonlight and snow. She is beautiful, fragile, and gentle. She smells of fresh apricots and strawberries. She is obser-vant and conversational. Montag finds her odd and endearing. She is guileless and innocent. A beautifully ironic metaphor compares her to the light of a candle. Clarisse describes herself as antisocial, talkative, and inquisitive. She is individualistic, responsible, and self-assured. Mildred and Beatty think of Clarisse as strange.)

3. Ask students to respond in writing to the following prompt: Would you see Clarisse as a friend? Why or why not?

Follow with discussion. 4. Distribute Handout 6. Allow paired students time to brainstorm

the various issues or big ideas and to write questions. (Some of the issues introduced in part 1 include overreliance on technology and addictions in various forms. A related issue is the nature of the Mon-tags cold, childless marriage. Questions could include why Montags

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society is so violent and the youth are so careless. Why does human life have so little value? Why is controversy a problem? Why do people like mindless, clich-ridden entertainment?)

5. Distribute Handout 7, and have each student record one intriguing question from Handout 6. This works well if students simply pass papers around the room.

Suggested Responses

Who comes to the rescue of Mildred when she has a drug overdose, and to what are the rescuers compared? (Rather than an ambulance or doctor coming to resuscitate Mildred, the two men are compared to handymen or workers in over-alls that impersonally operate a machine which is compared to a suction snake. The rescuers are crude and indifferent.)

What is the purpose of the Mechanical Hound, and why is this machine so frightening? (It serves as an antagonist to Guy Montag. It is conditioned to detect and kill those who are thinkers and readers. This man-made monster has eight legs and a needle that bursts from its nose to stun, paralyze, and kill a victim. It is the complete opposite of the traditional firehouse dog that rescued people. Ominously, it seems to have taken a dislike to Guy Montag.)

When does Montag reveal that he has hidden books, and what is the implication of this deception? (Montag reveals that he has hidden books only after he questions Beatty if firemen in the past actually put out fires. The assembled firemen, Stone-man and Black, ridicule his question and chant the history of firemen and the corresponding rules. Montags revelation also occurs after they burn the library of the old lady.)

Where does Mildred Montag interact with people most closely? (Ironically, Mildred talks with family in her parlor, which has three walls of interactive television. Her favorite programs include ridiculous situational comedies.)

Why does Montag stay home from work, and why does Beatty come to visit him? (As Beatty explains, most firemen at least once in their careers want to find out what books have to say. Beatty says that he has read some books in his time, which seems like hypocrisy. Montag feels physically ill after the old woman burns along with her library.)

How do language and literature become meaningless in this futuristic, dystopian society? (Everything that once had deep meaning is reduced to a digest. Films are speeded up, and meaningful editorials are only headlines. Life is lived in the present.)

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6. Ask students to examine part 1 of the novel for allusions and to ex-plain what the references mean.

Suggested Responses

SalamanderIn legend, a salamander has the ability to extin-guish fire with the coldness of its body. Its habitat is fire.

PhoenixThe phoenix is a mythical firebird. According to some legends, it has an incredibly long life cycle. When it prepares to die, it builds a nest of twigs that then ignites; the bird is reduced to ashes from which a young phoenix arises. Both of these mythological allusions are insignias on the firemens suits; both involve flames.

MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American poet in the early part of the twentieth century. Note the alliteration of Monday and Millay, Whitman and Wednesday, and Faulkner and Friday.

WhitmanThis literary allusion is to Walt Whitman, the Ameri-can poet.

FaulknerWilliam Faulkner was also an American writer. From Mississippi, Faulkner is considered one of the most important writers of Southern literature. All three of these literary allu-sions are American writers.

Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by Gods grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.This quotation is attributed to Hugh Latimer, who lived from about 1470 to 1555. He said this to his friend, Nicholas Rid-ley, as they were both about to be burned as heretics for their unorthodox teachings and beliefs.

Time has fallen asleep in the afternoon sunshine.This line, which Beatty reads in the book just before it is burned in the fire at the old womans library, is from a poem by Alexander Smith entitled Dreamthorpe and written in the 1800s. This senti-ment about both time and nature is neglected in Montags age.

Tower of BabelThis biblical allusion from the Book of Genesis refers to a tower to heaven which the people tried to build. Up until this point, all people spoke one common language. God confused their language, causing them to speak a variety of languages so that they could not communicate. In the novel, language has been reduced to meaningless clichs.

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ThereminThis musical instrument is mentioned in passing by Beatty. It is an electronic musical instrument, a fitting device for an era overly reliant on technology. It is associated with an eerie sound which is emitted by electronic signals.

It is computed that eleven thousand persons have at several times suf-fered death rather than submit to break their eggs at the smaller end.From book 1 of Gullivers Travels when Gulliver is stranded in the land of Lilliput, this quotation is about po-litical struggles over petty matters. The allusion predicts the dissension to come.

7. Assign students to review the first part of the novel, especially any passages that they found confusing.


Name:

Adjectives Describing ClarisseDirections: Using part 1 of Fahrenheit 451, examine the complex character of Clarisse McClellan. Write her name or draw a picture of her in the center of the graphic organizer. In the wheel, write eight adjectives that describe Clarisse, and provide evidence to support your ideas.

Lesson 2 Handout 5


Name:

Creating Analytical QuestionsDirections: Reporters try to answer six questions when they are working on a story. Use the reporters formula as a framework to create dense questions about the first part of Fahrenheit 451.

Who ______________________________________________________________

What ______________________________________________________________

When ______________________________________________________________

Where ______________________________________________________________

Why ______________________________________________________________

How ______________________________________________________________

Lesson 2 Handout 6


Name:

Round-Robin DiscussionDirections: Choose one of the questions you composed on Handout 6. Write the question in the space below, and record your own thoughts about it under Response One. Then ask your classmates to provide responses.

Dense Question:

Response One:

Response Two:

Response Three:

Response Four:

Lesson 2 Handout 7

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Lesson 3

Book Burning

Objectives

To determine historical incidents of book burning To analyze the reasons why books are burned To write individual responses to quotations regarding book burning


In history, book burning is typically motivated by moral or political objections to either the author or the content. Examples of the destruction of cultural heritage include the burning of the great Library of Alexandria, the destruction of books and scholars under Chinas Qin Dynasty, medi-eval European book burnings, and the destruction of Mayan codices by Spanish conquistadors. Adolf Hitler ordered the burning of books that he perceived as degenerate, which included works by Jewish authors as well as by American or British writers such as Ernest Hemingway, H. G. Wells, Helen Keller, and Theodor Dreiser. There are many examples of efforts to control freedom of expression and intellect through book burning in America. For example, in 1935, librarians in Warsaw, Indiana, were forced to burn the books of Theodore Dreiser because of the perceived leftist content. In 1939, John Steinbecks classic novel The Grapes of Wrath was burned all over the United States because of its political content and language. In 1973, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut was burned in Drake, North Dakota. Vonnegut had this response: I am among those American writers whose books have been destroyed in the now famous furnace of your school. Certain members of your community have suggested that my work is evil. This is extraordinarily insulting to me. The news from Drake indicates to me that books and writ-ers are very unreal to you people. I am writing this letter to let you know how real I am. Incidents have continued into the twenty-first century with burning Harry Potter books. In March 2011, a Florida pastor burned a Quran, the holy book of Is-lam, after his church found it guilty during a trial. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates became involved in the controversy because of fear of international repercussions. Indeed, the incident sparked violent protests in Afghanistan that resulted in more than twenty deaths, including those of seven employees of the United Nations.

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After giving students time to reflect on their initial perception of book burning in Fahrenheit 451, encourage them to share their responses. Addi-tionally, create collectively a time line of the history of book burning and the role of firemen in Ray Bradburys dystopian world.

Procedure

1. Ask students if they are aware of any historical examples of book burning that Ray Bradbury must have had in mind when he wrote Fahrenheit 451. After preliminary discussion on recent and historical examples, distribute Handout 8. Give students adequate time to free-write on the prompts and to take notes on the history of firemen by using their texts. Follow with discussion.

Suggested Responses

1. Montag realizes that books were created by living human be-ings and that it took a lot of time and effort to put thoughts down on paper. He discerns that fire is not bright and clean as Beatty claims, but destructive. He becomes curious about the contents of books and endangers himself and Mildred in a quest to learn why books are so powerful that the old woman would have committed suicide to die with her beloved books.

2. The history and description of firemen in America as outlined by Beatty In the revisionist history, firemen were established in

1790 by Benjamin Franklin, presumably because of his association with lightning. This information is included along with the five rules of firemen, who are supposed to answer the alarm swiftly, start the fire immediately, burn everything, and report back to the firehouse to stand alert for other alarms.

Beatty explains that the present job started after the Civil War, when dissension created havoc in America. As Beatty explains the history, it was photography that truly brought about the modern era because it led to television and mo-tion pictures. Visual technology simplified thought and made it easier for people to think alike.

Beatty grudgingly admits that firemen at one time did put out fires, but when all homes were fireproofed, there was no need for firefighters any longer. They were given a new job: to get rid of controversy by burning the million banned books, which Beatty calls the loaded guns next door.

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Firemen became the happiness boys in their efforts to get rid of the ideas of thinkers and intellectuals. Schools followed suit by omitting the study of languages, English, philosophy, and history. All that remains for reading plea-sure are comic books and tabloids.

2. Discuss why books have become the target of censorship resulting in mass book burnings. Ask what a world without books would be like. Refer to the dystopia in part 1 of Fahrenheit 451, and review what is missing in Montags world. (Not only are books missing in this dystopia, so are front porches where people could just sit and talk, gardens, any sense of ritual such as funerals, museums with any type of art besides abstract, and any mental stimulation that requires real thought. As Clarisse shows Montag, human interaction is also miss-ing, and real love seems absent.)

3. Distribute Handout 9, and explain that these are quotations from famous writers and thinkers who are vehemently opposed to burning books. Ask students to think in writing and to complete the handout. After adequate time, encourage students to read their responses aloud or to explain their thinking about book burning. As students respond, have them first identify the quotation they chose and why they chose it.

4. Share the following information about the three quotations: Alfred Whitney Griswold lived in the twentieth century and was

president of Yale University. His dissertation was a first in the field of American studies, and he wrote on the cult of success in America. His ideas are the epitome of what Beatty hates about intellectuals.

Heinrich Heine was a significant German poet of the nineteenth century. As a Jew, he was often the victim of anti-Semitism. When Hitler ordered books to be burned in Berlin in 1933, among the thousands of books burned were works by Heine. To commemo-rate this terrible event, this quotation, one of the lines from a play that Heine wrote in 1821, is engraved at the site in Berlin. His prediction of the terrible events in Nazi Germany is eerie.

John Milton, the great English Puritan poet, was opposed to cen-sorship. In 1644, Milton published Areopagitica, an essay which appealed to Parliament to rescind the order which would bring publishing under government control. This order would have cre-ated official censors to whom authors would submit their work for approval before it could be published. Miltons argument is that this type of censorship is little more than an excuse for state con-trol of thought, which is present in Montags world of Fahrenheit 451.

5. Assign students to read The Sieve and the Sand.


Name:

Reflection on Book Burning in Fahrenheit 451Directions: Reflect in writing about the following prompts.

1. In part 1 of Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag tries to talk to Mildred about the reasons he feels so ill after burning the old womans library: There must be something in books, things we cant imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You dont stay for nothing.

What is the power of books that would cause people to burn them in protest? Explain what Montag comes to realize about books near the end of the first part of the novel.

2. Summarize the history and description of firemen in America, which Beatty explains to Montag. List and describe steps in the evolution of firemen.

Lesson 3 Handout 8


Name:

Philosophical Reflections on Book Burning Directions: Choose one of the three quotations below, and reflect in writing about what you believe it means. Make text-to-text connections to Fahrenheit 451 when possible.

1. Books wont stay banned. They wont burn. Ideas wont go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education

2. Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings. Heinrich Heine, Almansor

3. For books are not absolutely dead things, but . . . do preserve as in a vial the purest efficacy and extraction of that living intellect that bred them. . . . Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, Gods image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye. Many a man lives a burden to the earth; but a good book is the precious life-blood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life. John Milton, Areopagitica

Lesson 3 Handout 9

24 Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 25

Lesson 4

Exploring Irony

Objectives

To define three types of irony To distinguish among examples of types of irony To analyze the effect of irony


High school students are often somewhat adept at recognizing irony, but typically not at analyzing the effect of irony and the authors intent in its use. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury uses irony extensively in his scathing indictment of dependence on technology and the proclivity to let technology replace thought. Irony comes from the Greek eironeia, which means simulated igno-rance. This is an excellent description of Beattys verbal thrust and parry in part 2, when he goads Montag into stunned confusion directly before driving to his house on a mission of destruction. Since irony is often lightly sarcastic, Bradbury uses it when the women natter about nothing at Mil-dreds television viewing party. Many of their statements are the opposite of Bradburys intent. So often in this novel, the authors attitude is com-pletely opposed to what is actually stated by characters. It is the context of statements that leads readers to understand the irony. While identifying types of irony is not always crucial to recognizing it, for the structure of this lesson, differentiating among the types is a be-ginning point leading to analysis. Situational irony is related to the plot or action; dramatic irony relies on characterization; and verbal irony relates directly to themes. Situational irony, the most overt and common type of irony, involves the occurrence of events that are the opposite of what the reader expects. Dramatic irony involves a contrast between what a charac-ter believes to be true and what the informed reader knows. Verbal irony involves a contrast between the words spoken and the intended meaning. This lesson begins with a discussion of what students already know about irony and what they need to learn. Then, working in groups of three, students find an example of each type of irony in Fahrenheit 451. After identifying the types of irony in the text, students discuss and record the effects. The lesson ends in a brief writing assignment.

26 Fahrenheit 451

Procedure

1. Ask students to define the word irony. Explain that irony always in-volves some kind of discrepancy. Identify the three types of irony. In situational irony, the discrepancy lies between what is expected and what actually happens. With dramatic irony, the audience is aware of something a character or several characters do not know. When a person says one thing but actually means the opposite, verbal irony is at work.

2. Distribute Handout 10, and have small groups complete the chart. Follow with discussion.

Suggested Responses

1. The most overt irony in the action of the novel is that firemen are charged with the task of creating fires and destroying life and property. It is also ironic that the youth go to the Fun Park to bully people, wreck cars, and smash windows.

2. It is ironic that the fire truck stops directly in front of Mon-tags house. He was reluctant to go to this new assignment and burn more books even before he realized that this was, in fact, his own house.

3. Mildred says that she is happy in reply to Montags lament about how unhappy he is, but the reader knows that the previ-ous night Mildred took an overdose of sleeping pills.

4. Montag reads from a book a quotation: That favourite subject Myself, which is by James Boswell, the eighteenth-century biographer of Samuel Johnson. Millie replies that she understands that book, virtually the only thing Montag read that she understood. This is both verbal and dramatic irony; Montag replies that Clarisses favorite subject was not herself but others, as she loved to watch people. The reader knows that Millie is entirely self-centered and yet a survivor.

5. It is ironic that Millie cannot remember when she first met her husband, even though it was only ten years ago. She says that it is funny not to remember where she met him, which is anything but funny. It is also ironic that Mildred calls the actors on the massive television screens her family.

6. Guy Montag asks Millie if her family loves her, and she simply says that it is a silly question. Bradbury wants the reader to perceive how little love or happiness there is in this futuris-tic, dystopian America. Another example in part 2 is when Mrs. Bowles becomes angry with Montag for reading Dover

Fahrenheit 451 27

Beach to the women. She accuses him and the words of the poem of hurting people, yet they themselves live in a violent, destructive society. Finally, at the end of part 2, as Montag, Beatty, and the firemen are speeding through the streets, Beatty shouts out, Here we go to keep the world happy, Mon-tag. This is a severely depressed world, not a happy one.

3. Distribute Handout 11, and review the assignment as well as the ru-bric. Encourage students to choose an example that they understand well.

4. Clarify that to analyze a passage is to explain what it means and why it is significant. An analysis helps both the writer and the reader to un-derstand the importance of a passage and its relation to the meaning of the work as a whole. The task of analyzing takes the explicitwhat the book saysand digs for meaning. When writers analyze, they suspend judgment by not stating if a passage is good or bad. In analy-sis, the writer makes observations on a complex topic such as irony and breaks it into smaller parts. Finally, the writer draws conclusions.

5. Give students adequate time to write several paragraphs explaining the effect and purpose of an example of irony. This activity is a bench-mark assessment on understanding at this point in the novel. Collect the essays at the end of the allotted time.

6. Assign students to review The Sieve and the Sand for examples of technology and to create a list of the different types.


Name:

Isnt It Ironic?Directions: Complete the columns with examples of irony in the first two parts of Fahrenheit 451.

Type of Irony of Example Quotation Explanation

1. Situational Part 1


3. DramaticPart 1


Page Number


Name:

Type of Irony of Example Quotation Explanation

4. DramaticPart 2


6. Dramatic Part 2

Page Number



Name:

Irony AnalysisDirections: Choose one example of irony in Fahrenheit 451. Identify the type of irony, and write an analysis of the effect and purpose of that specific example. As you work, keep in mind the scorecard that will be used to grade your writing.

___ Includes a clear and precise explanation of the type of irony

___ Uses logical organization, including introductory and concluding statements

___ Provides ample and specific support with carefully chosen additional direct quotations or examples coherently embedded in the writing

___ Offers a clear and complex analysis of the purpose of the irony and has no factual or interpre-tive errors

___ Integrates the theme of the novel into the last part of the writing, giving significance to the analysis

Lesson 4 Handout 11

Fahrenheit 451 31

Lesson 5

The Future Is Now

Objectives

To identify types of technology in the novel To compare the technology in the science fiction to the reality of

today To recognize the negative connotations of the new technology in the

novel


In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on August 16, 2010, Ray Bradbury complained about the conditions of the contemporary world, demonstrating his reputation as both a curmudgeon and one of the worlds greatest dreamers. While appalled at NASAs cancellation of the moon exploration program, he was equally appalled at the pervasiveness of tech-nology: We have too many cell phones. Weve got too many Internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now. Bradbury published Fahrenheit 451 in 1953; many of his predictions of advancements in the field of telecommunications are evident today. He predicted that television-like screens would take up multiple walls of living space and that entertainment would consist of more sports for everyone and vapid reality shows. Telephones and doorbells would call out the names of callers. People would listen endlessly to music and communicate using small ear devices. Equally prescient are Bradburys inventions of mechanical devices to enhance crime detection, such as the Mechanical Hound. Warfare has also advanced in Bradburys fictional vision. The advanced technologies that Bradbury predicts in Fahrenheit 451 are one reason he himself classified this novel as science fiction. Yet, much of the fiction has become todays reality. Flat-screen televisions can mea-sure as large as 152 inches diagonally. People use surround-sound systems and interactive home video consoles. Todays young people tend to be a constantly plugged-in generation. In this lesson, students discover the similarities of the society in Fahr-enheit 451 to todays popular culture. Students also discuss the implication that technology can be dangerous if not used in moderation. Guide students to the realization of the double-edged sword of the technology they take for granted. The modern eras desire to have information readily accessible at any time and from any place needs to be examined. Bradbury makes clear that overreliance on technology can have negative implications, as acquisi-tion of facts replaces thoughtful reasoning.

32 Fahrenheit 451

Procedure

1. Ask students to define the word technology. It comes from the Greek word tekhnologia, meaning the study of a skill or craft. Technology involves creating tools to serve purposes and solve problems.

2. Distribute Handout 12, and ask students to complete both parts.

Suggested Responses

Part B. 1. Thimble radios in Mildreds ears enable her to listen to music,

talk shows, and propaganda all the time. They solve the prob-lem of boredom.

2. The suction snakes remove the poison of the overdose of sleeping pills. The second machine pumps out all the blood and replaces it with fresh blood. The suction snakes clean up a problem without the need of doctors and hospitals.

3. The wall-to-wall television screens give pleasure and involve the viewer in interactive shows. Many of the programs bom-bard the viewer with bright colors and firework displays. They address the problem of boredom.

4. The Mechanical Hound sniffs out criminals and maims or destroys perpetrators. Lawbreakers are brought to justice.

5. The firemen spray kerosene all over books and ignite the bon-fire with a mechanical match. Books are hard to burn, and the equipment expedites the process.

6. The front door speaker announces visitors, providing security. 7. Telephones identify callers, solving the problem of answering

unwanted calls.8. The bomber planes provide surveillance and a feeling of pro-

tection after two atomic wars. 9. The subway train radio advertises products and avoids the

problem of needing to replace print advertisements. 10. The green bullet ear device makes private communication

possible and helps Montag feel secure. 3. Divide the class into small groups, and ask them to discover how

Bradburys science fiction inventions listed in part B of Handout 12 have for the most part become true and are widely available technolo-gies today.

Suggested Responses

1. Devices to listen to music are ubiquitous in todays world. 2. While suctioning poison from the body is an ancient technol-

ogy, the use of fiber optics is prevalent in medicine today.

Fahrenheit 451 33

3. We have large-screen televisions and interactive home video consoles.

4. The Mechanical Hound is similar to unmanned aerial vehicles or drones used in present-day warfare and police actions.

5. The firemens equipment brings to mind flamethrowers or even common mechanical igniters.

6. The front door speaker resembles our security options. 7. Many people today use caller ID. 8. The bomber planes are similar to B-52 planes and stealth

bombers.9. Most of us do not even pause to consider the audio advertise-

ments that bombard us daily.10. Some cell phones offer hands-free communication.

4. Distribute Handout 13, and ask students to complete the activity. 5. Assign students to read the last section of the novel, Burning Bright.


Name:

Technology in Fahrenheit 451Part A.

Directions: Record a working definition of the word technology.

Part B.

Directions: Below is a list of some of the machines and advanced technologies present in parts 1 and 2 of Fahrenheit 451. In the space provided, record the purpose of each and the problem it solves.

Technology Purpose Usefulness

1. Seashells or thimble radios in Mildreds ears

2. The suction snake used on Mildred

3. The wall-to-wall television screens

4. The Mechanical Hound



Name:

Technology Purpose Usefulness

5. The firemens equipment

6. The front door speaker

7. Telephones that report the name of the person calling

8. The bomber planes in the sky

9. The subway train radio

10. The green bullet ear device



Name:

Keeping the World HappyDirections: Choose one of these five machines from Fahrenheit 451, and circle your choice. Then fill in the various parts of this four-square form completely.

1. Seashells or thimble radios in Mildreds ears

2. The wall-to-wall television screens

3. The Mechanical Hound

4. The subway train radio

5. The green bullet ear device

Lesson 5 Handout 13

Dangers Posed

Description in Novel Description in My Own Words

Illustration Based on Description

Fahrenheit 451 37

Lesson 6

Allusions: Making Connections

Objectives

To identify types of allusions in Fahrenheit 451 To explore the effects of allusions To analyze the themes of the novel through a focus on allusions


This novel is filled with allusions, a necessary component in a work that explores the nature of knowledge in a world where books are banned. In fact, Fahrenheit 451 is a rich tapestry of allusions with which the reader needs to become familiar, as the many references link directly to themes. This lesson focuses solely on allusions and builds on Lesson 2 in this unit, where allusions are introduced. Allusions are usually indirect or passing references to some event, per-son, place, or artistic work, the relevance of which is not explained by the writer. By this definition, the inclusion of most of Matthew Arnolds Do-ver Beach is not an allusion, as Ray Bradbury makes the purpose overt. By implying comparisons, allusions enhance meaning. Classical allusions refer to ancient Greece and Rome. For example, Hercules and Antaeus are mentioned when Faber tells Montag about the lack of substance in the present era. Biblical allusions refer to either the Old or the New Testament; in this novel, there are many biblical allusions, as well as historical allusions. In this lesson, students first discuss various types of allusions. Next, in an activity that requires individual reflection, students respond to a pas-sage that relates to a biblical allusion. Finally, in a culminating activity, students research a specific allusion and prepare to take on the persona of the author of a work. As students compose brief presentations, they include analysis of why Bradbury chose to include a specific allusion in his story.

Procedure

1. Review the basic definition of allusion. (An allusion is a reference to a person, place, myth, historical event, or another work of literature. Al-lusions are often indirect or brief references to well-known characters or events.)

38 Fahrenheit 451

2. Distribute Handout 14, and use it to explain various types of allu-sions. Then ask small groups to complete the handout.

Suggested Responses

1. In part 2 when Montag is trying to block out the blaring adver-tisements from the subway radio, he repeatedly mentions the lilies of the field. This is a reference to Matthew 6:28 or Luke 12:27. This is ironic considering the obsession with appear-ances demonstrated by Mildred as well as the advertisement for a dental product to enhance the whiteness of teeth.

2. Beatty refers to the story of Icarus, the son of Daedulus, at the beginning of part 3. This is a powerful allusion to the myth of escaping imprisonment and being destroyed by fire.

3. Benjamin Franklin is referred to as the first fireman in the first part of the novel. This allusion is one of many that include the destructive power of fire.

4. One of the first literary allusions mentions Latimer and Ridley, the Oxford martyrs burned at the stake in 1555. It is fitting that the old lady who chooses to be burned with her library cites the quotation, Play the man, Master Ridley. . . . The novel abounds with literary allusions.

5. Early in part 2 Montag states that America started and won two atomic wars since 1990. Readers would be aware of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Clearly, at the end of the novel, there is another atomic war. Bradbury illustrates the idea that humankind is bent on destroying itself through war, thus reinforcing the pessimistic ending of Dover Beach.

3. Distribute Handout 15. Locate the references to Ecclesiastes 3 at the end of part 3, and read the ending out loud. Give students time to reflect and make connections in writing. Then encourage students to share their responses.

Suggested Responses

1. Time is a constant motif in Fahrenheit 451, as seen in the title of part 2. The sands of time are running out, as both Faber and Montag come to realize. Granger in part 3 also tells Montag that when the war is over, it will be time for books again until another dark age of repression.

2. Guy Montags choice of Ecclesiastes to keep alive shows that his time has come to defy the repression of Beatty and the other firemen. It is time to escape, rebel, and persevere so that the future of knowledge and real thought can live on.

Fahrenheit 451 39

4. Distribute Handout 16, and review the directions. Ask students to use online sources and encyclopedias to locate information. (There are basically three reasons Bradbury uses the allusions listed. Many have to do with fire; some refer to the importance of knowledge; most are allusions to works by rebels, philosophers, and thinkers.) For presentations, students should be able to share the relevant section of Fahrenheit 451. They might also consider using direct quotations from an original source. Suggest that students dress in costume for the presentation. Mention that evaluations of student work will be based on evidence of research and critical thinking and on how well students assume the persona of their chosen figure.


Name:

Types of AllusionsDirections: For each of the following types of allusions, locate an example from Fahrenheit 451. Use all three parts of the novel to locate examples. Use direct quotations to record the allusions. Then find the sources of the allusions, and explain their purposes; include the ways they enhance the themes of the novel.

Type of Allusion Example and Page Number Source and Purpose

1. Biblical

2. Classical




Type of Allusion Example and Page Number Source and Purpose

3. Historical

4. Literary

5. Topical


Name:

A Time for EverythingDirections: Ecclesiastes, a book of the Old Testament of the Bible, is referred to many times in Fahr-enheit 451. It is the book that Montag becomes at the end of the novel. Read the following passage carefully. Then answer the questions.

Ecclesiastes 3:18There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

1. What does this passage mean? Why is it significant? How does it connect to a theme in Fahr-enheit 451?

2. What does this passage tell the reader about Guy Montag? Why does he choose this book to keep alive?

3. What personal connections do you have to this passage? What text-to-self connections can you make to this quotation?

Lesson 6 Handout 15

From The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


Name:

Allusions and the Meeting of the MindsDirections: Ray Bradbury makes many allusions in Fahrenheit 451. Choose an allusion from the fol-lowing list. After locating the allusion in Fahrenheit 451, research the author, philosopher, theorist, or leader, and his literary work, philosophical writing, theory, or achievement. Prepare to act as that person in a presentation in which you tell the class who you are, explain why Bradbury included you and your text or idea in his story, and clarify whether the allusion is ironic.

1. AristophanesGreek playwright of satirical comedies

2. Marcus AureliusMeditations

3. Sir Francis BaconNovum Organum, a philosophical work

4. William BlakeThe Tyger, a poem

5. James Boswell Life of Samuel Johnson, a biography published in 1791

6. Robert BrowningPippa Passes, a long poem

7. Gautama BuddhaSiddhartha Gautama, Indian mystic and founder of Buddhism

8. Book of JobBible: A mans faith is tested by a series of tragic events.

9. Robert BurtonThe Anatomy of Melancholy

10. Lord ByronGeorge Gordon, Lord Byron, a British Romantic poet

11. Lewis CarrollAlices Adventure in Wonderland, Cheshire Cat

12. ConfuciusChinese philosopher whose writings are the basis of Confucianism

13. Charles DarwinOn the Origin of Species

14. Mahatma GandhiIndian leader who advocated nonviolent resistance

15. Thomas JeffersonAuthor of the Declaration of Independence

16. King JohnMagna Carta, 1215

17. Samuel JohnsonRasselas

18. Latimer & RidleyPlay the man, Master Ridley. . . were the last words of Hugh Latimer to Nicolas Ridley. They were two Protestants burned at the stake in Oxford, England, in 1555.

19. Niccol MachiavelliItalian Renaissance political theorist

20. Jos Ortega y GassetSpanish philosopher

21. Thomas PaineBritish-born American patriot who wrote Common Sense, 1776

22. PlatoPlatos Republic, Utopia, and Allegory of the Cave

23. Alexander PopeEssay on Criticism and Essay on Man, poet



Name:

24. RevelationBible: The last book of the New Testament is apocalyptic in nature.

25. Bertrand RussellBritish philosopher, mathematician, social critic

26. Albert SchweitzerFrench philosopher, physician, missionary

27. William ShakespearePlays alluded to include Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and The Tempest. Choose one.

28. Sir Philip SidneyDefense of Poetry, Arcadia, Renaissance poet

29. Jonathan SwiftA satirist, wrote Gullivers Travels

30. Henry David ThoreauAuthor of Civil Disobedience and Walden


Fahrenheit 451 45

Lesson 7

Specific, Concrete Imagery

Objectives

To explore the impact of concrete, specific word choice To identify figurative language and imagery in context To analyze the effect of sensory details, imagery, and figurative

language


Concrete, sensory details in a work aid the reader in visualizing what the author is describing. When an author uses the five senses to describe a situation or person, he or she engages the reader directly through sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. Ray Bradburys work is filled with sensory details, especially in the third part describing Montags pain when escaping the city and the pleasure he finds in the natural world in which he finds sanctuary. Figurative language is another means of connecting with the reader by creating comparisons between the unfamiliarthe text of the authorand the familiar world of the readers realm of experience. The two main figures of speech that Bradbury uses to make his novel vivid are similes and metaphors. Students begin this look at the writers craft by completing a creative writing prompt on concrete, specific word choice and imagery. Then stu-dents locate examples of text with sensory details. Finally, students find examples of similes and metaphors in the novel and discuss their meaning and significance.

Procedure

1. Read aloud the passage early in part 1 in which Montag discovers his unconscious wife. Discuss why this scene is so vivid, and call atten-tion to the sensory details of the feeling of coldness, the sound of the pill bottle on the floor, and the sight of his wifes face and glassy eyes, all of which suggest death.

2. Distribute Handout 17, and review the difference between abstract and concrete words. Abstract nouns name concepts. Concrete nouns, on the other hand, identify things that can be sensed. Ask students to complete the handout, and follow with discussion.

46 Fahrenheit 451

3. Review the definitions of metaphors and similes as examples of figura-tive language. Return to the passage read for the activity in procedure 1, and point out examples of metaphors and similes on those pages: Montag compares his wifes remoteness as she is stretched on the bed to a carving on the lid of a tomb. Bradbury calls her addiction a vast sea, and her overdose is like drowning or going down for the third time. Encourage students to find other examples of similes and metaphors in the same passage.

4. Distribute Handout 18. Clarify that sensory details, imagery, and fig-urative language are like an authors thumbprint. Bradburys unique style becomes evident when we examine his creativity in composing similes and metaphors and in using imagery. Direct students to com-plete the handout. During discussion, encourage students to realize the immediacy of the imagery.

Suggested Responses

1. When Montag burns Beatty, the dead man is compared to a silent charred wax doll. As Montag is escaping, he imagines the thousands of faces coming to the front doors of their homes to locate the fugitive. He compares the lifeless citizens to gray animals peering from electric caves. This simile also relates to the sense of sight and is one more example of imag-ery of death.

2. Just before Montag turns the flamethrower on Beatty, his anxiety and emotions are compared to the thunder of an ava-lanche. The pain Montag experiences as he is escaping the city is compared to spikes being driven into his knee, then darn-ing needles, then safety pins, as the pain abates.

3. When Montag burns his home, it collapses into red coals and black ash and sleepy pink-gray cinders.

4. The sound of the approaching police helicopters is described as a great whirling whisper.

5. The pain of Montags injured knee is a shower of silver nee-dles, which is also a metaphor.

6. When the bomb destroys the city, Montag feels as if his mouth is lined with dust.

7. The breath of the deer smells of cardamom and ragweed. The leaves on the ground smell of hot cloves. There are many other sensory details that relate to the sense of smell in the same passage.

Fahrenheit 451 47

5. To reinforce the effect of sensory details and figurative language, distribute Handout 19, which includes the poem The Tyger by William Blake, the source for the title of the last part of the novel. Read the poem out loud, and briefly discuss the fierce tone. Then, for closure to this lesson, have students reread the poem and answer the questions. Remind students of the dual nature of fire, which Beatty suggests when he says that fire is both bright and clean. Fire can de-stroy, but it can also restore.

Suggested Responses

1. The sense of sight is predominant with the references to the bright fire burning and the symmetry of the tiger. The sense of touch is also mentioned. The aggression of the subject of the poem makes it seem negative and frightening.

2. There are a number of reasons that the third part of Fahrenheit 451 is entitled Burning Bright. The allusion predicts the complete annihilation of the city. It also suggests that Montag has become fierce like a tiger. There are many references to the destructive power of fire throughout part 3, as well as some to its restorative nature. If students do not notice the veiled allu-sion to Icarus in the poem, On what wings dare he aspire, be sure to point that out.

3. If students have not already read William Blakes The Lamb, use it for its contrast to The Tyger.

6. Assign students to review the novel and list symbols, including names that seem to carry additional meaning. If the edition you are using includes the Afterword, assign that for students to read.


Name:

Specific, Concrete ImageryDirections: Select an abstract noun like sorrow, joy, love, wisdom, or patriotism. Write the word in the space below. Then fill in a concrete image evoked by the abstract term for each category. Be very specific.

Abstract Noun ______________________________

Lesson 7 Handout 17

Car

Color Smell Taste

Sound Texture Animal

Flower Weather


Name:

Focus on StyleDirections: Use part 3, Burning Bright, to find examples of each of the following techniques that together make up Ray Bradburys style. Be prepared to discuss the purpose of each example.

Stylistic Device Example and Page Number Effect and Purpose

1. Simile

2. Metaphor

3. Concrete sensory detail of sight (visual)



Name:

Stylistic Device Example and Page Number Effect and Purpose

4. Concrete sensory detail of sound (auditory)

5. Concrete sensory detail of touch (tactile)

6. Concrete sensory detail of taste (gustatory)

7. Concrete sensory detail of smell (olfactory)




Burning BrightDirections: Read the following poem by William Blake. Then respond in writing by carefully answer-ing the questions. Be prepared to share your responses.

The TygerTyger! Tyger! burning brightIn the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeCould frame thy fearful symmetry? In what distant deeps or skiesBurnt the fire of thine eyes?On what wings dare he aspire?What the hand dare sieze the fire? And what shoulder, & what art,Could twist the sinews of thy heart?And when thy heart began to beat,What dread hand? & what dread feet? What the hammer? what the chain?In what furnace was thy brain?What the anvil? what dread graspDare its deadly terrors clasp? When the stars threw down their spearsAnd waterd heaven with their tears,Did he smile his work to see?Did he who made the Lamb make thee? Tyger! Tyger! burning bright,In the forests of the night,What immortal hand or eyeDare frame thy fearful symmetry? William Blake


Name:

1. What sense is predominant in this poem? How does the poem make you feel?

2. Why is part 3 of Fahrenheit 451 entitled Burning Bright? What is the purpose of this allu-sion? What other text-to-text connections can you make between the poem and the novel?

3. What text-to-self or personal connections can you make?


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Lesson 8

Hidden Meanings: Archetypes and Symbols

Objectives

To define the terms archetypal imagery and symbolism To identify archetypal images and symbols in context To analyze the effect of archetypes and symbols


Explaining the purpose and effect of symbolism as it relates to discern-ing a theme is often difficult for students. A symbol is something concrete that represents an abstract idea. For example, the flag of the United States of America is a red, white, and blue piece of cloth that includes stripes and stars; it represents patriotism and freedom to most U.S. citizens. Open symbols are universal and well-known; for example, a set of scales repre-sents justice. There are also constructed or closed symbols, which are given meaning by the author. The salamander in Fahrenheit 451 is an example. When symbols are deeply embedded in the psyche or intuitive level of response, they are often described as archetypes. Most students are not familiar with the concept and power of archetypal imagery. An archetype is an original pattern or model from which other things of the same type are copied or on which they are based. An archetype is a first form or a prototype. In Jungian psychology, it is an inherited, unconscious idea, part of the collective unconscious. According to Jung, archetypes are uni-versally present in all individual psyches. Considering archetypes explains how so many descriptions about a great flood exist in ancient texts. The similarity of the stories about restoration of the peoples of the earth in these various creation myths cannot have arisen from commerce between these civilizations. Fahrenheit 451 is filled with powerful symbols and archetypal images, all of which relate directly to the theme. In the first part of this lesson, stu-dents discover the symbolic meaning in the title of each part of the novel. Students also use the Afterword to determine the meaning of certain tag names such as Faber, Montag, and Granger. Next, students locate and re-spond to various archetypal images and symbols in the novel. Finally, for an optional activity, students choose symbols to use in creating a new book cover for the novel.

54 Fahrenheit 451

Procedure

1. Point out that authors usually give careful thought to titles and names. Review why Ray Bradbury entitled this novel Fahrenheit 451. Ask students if they are aware of characters in film or literature whose names have extra meaning. These types of names with connotation are sometimes called tag names. Give examples of tag names in lit-erature, such as Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter books. Severus means severe or strict, which that character certainly is.

2. Distribute Handout 20. Divide students into pairs to work on this activity, and give them time to use the text, especially the Afterword. After adequate time, discuss what students have recorded and how these names add meaning to the novel.

Suggested Responses

1. Both of the nouns in the title of part 1 have to do with fire. A hearth is a fireplace where the home fires burn bright, but that is ironic in Montags case. His home lacks warmth. The mythological salamander is at home in fire; it is a symbol on the firemans uniform. The fire truck is also personified as a salamander.

2. Montag recalls a trip he took as a young child to the seashore. A relative told him he would get a dime if he could fill up a sieve with sand. Of course, the faster he poured the sand into the sieve, the faster it sifted through. The reason Montag re-members this event is that his time is passing rapidly, like the sand in an hourglass. The emptiness and futility of this task represents Montags society in the city and the meaningless-ness of his life.

3. Since students have already discussed the poem by William Blake, this is a review. The firebomb at the end with the apoca-lyptic destruction of the city is connoted in the title.

4. In the Afterword, Bradbury claims that using the name of a paper manufacturing company was a subconscious choice. It is significant that Guy Montags name is connected with writ-ing and books.

5. In the Afterword, Bradbury makes clear that the name Faber, a manufacturer of pencils, also came from his subconscious. Still, it is a fitting tag name for someone who values the mean-ing of books and an intellectual life.

6. Montag encounters Granger after running from the city. The name has an agrarian association. Granger and his fellow book people live in the forest.

Fahrenheit 451 55

3. Ask whether there are other possible tag names in the novel, and guide students to consider the firemens names, Stoneman and Black. Stoneman has the connotation of being cold and emotionless, while black is a color used negatively in this book. At one point, Montag realizes that the firemen all look alike with black hair, black brows, and dark shadows of whiskers on their faces.

4. Provide a definition of the term symbolism, and discuss various fa-miliar or open symbols. Clarify that a symbol must be something concrete or tangible that represents something abstract. Distribute Handout 21, and ask students to complete the chart.

Suggested Responses

1. In legend, the salamander makes its home in fire. A salaman-der cannot be consumed by flames, so this symbol represents the impervious nature of Beatty and the other firemen, who are callous and uncaring.

2. The phoenix rises from the ashes of its own funeral pyre. At the end of the novel, Granger compares humankind to a phoenix that rises again and again. This is a hint of optimism. In the beginning, the phoenix is a symbol of fire worn on the chest of the firemen.

3. In part 1, the allusion to the Tower of Babel is used by Beatty to explain the confusing and contradictory nature of books. At the end, intellectuals and professors with knowledge of many languages have come together to keep knowledge intact and safe. This is a reversal of Gods punishment, and it provides hope for the future.

4. As Bradbury claims in the Afterword, the Mechanical Hound is his robot clone of Arthur Conan Doyles hound of the Baskervilles. Bradburys beast is described thoroughly in part 1. The Mechanical Hound represents evil.

5. In part 1, Montag describes Clarisse as a sort of mirror who helps him to see himself. At the end, Granger repeats this sym-bol by saying that the survivors are going to go build a mirror factory so that people will not forget the past. By taking a good long look into these figurative mirrors, Granger hopes that people will see and try to correct their inherent flaws.

6. Books serve as the central symbol of the novel and have many layers of meaning. When Montag burns the books, he sees them as white birds rising to the sky; thus they represent freedom of thought. Books represent knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Montag also comes to realize that these concrete objects of paste and paper which burn at 451 degrees Fahrenheit represent real flesh and blood.

56 Fahrenheit 451

5. Explain that some symbols used throughout time and in many dif-ferent cultures acquire added meaning. These types of symbols and images are called archetypes. Distribute Handout 22, and use it to clarify the nature of archetypes. Then ask students to complete the chart.

Suggested Responses

1. The firemen are dressed in black. Montags house is often in darkness. Montag escapes in the dark of night.

2. Fire is often described as red. Blood is often mentioned in violent scenes. Mildreds poisoned blood is replaced by fresh, pure blood.

3. Clarisse is described in terms of milky whiteness, signifying her innocence and purity. The burnt books are white ash, con-veying death.

4. The suction tubes of the men who revive Mildred are referred to as snakes, and the mens eyes are like puff adders. The fire-mens hose spewing kerosene is also referred to as a serpent.

5. Fire has destructive powers in the novel, beginning with the meaning of the title. It can also restore as the campfire does at the end. The sun rises feebly after the great bombing of the city, connoting hope.

6. After escaping in the river, Montag emerges a new man, partly because he is washed clean of his scent and puts on new clothes. The river is an escape for him, a path to safety.

7. Clarisse is a youthful version of the good mother. She is close-ly attuned to nature; Montag describes her in terms of natural imagery. She nurtures Montag and provides him a glimpse into truth and meaning.

8. Faber serves as Montags mentor. He literally comes to Montags rescue and tells him how to escape to safety. The listening device also provides Montag with safety. Faber has the wisdom of knowledge and reading on his side, which he passes on to Montag.

9. The dry leaves that Clarisse calls to Montags attention provide the setting for the novel. This tragedy of the fall of a civilization occurs in autumn.

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Optional Activity

Ask students to choose one symbol or a combination of similar symbols that they understand best. After examining again the cover of their book, have students create original book covers for Fahren-heit 451 using one symbol or combination of symbols as the focus. Contrasting symbols can also convey hidden meaning. Encourage students to experiment with fonts and sizes to enhance symbolic meaning. When students present these book covers in a type of gal-lery, ask them to explain the symbols they have chosen.


Name:

Whats in a Name?Directions: Using your text, including the Afterword, explain the meaning of the following titles and names.

1. The Hearth and the Salamander

2. The Sieve and the Sand

3. Burning Bright

4. Montag

5. Faber

6. Granger

Lesson 8 Handout 20


Name:

Powerful SymbolsDirections: Complete the middle column by describing the symbol as Ray Bradbury presents it. Then, in the right column, identify the abstract, hidden meaning of the symbol. What ideals, emo-tions, or beliefs are suggested by each symbol?

Symbol as Presented in Novel Hidden Meaning

1. Salamander

2. Phoenix

3. Tower of Babel


Description of Symbol


Name:

Symbol as Presented in Novel Hidden Meaning

4. Mechanical Hound

5. Mirror

6. Books

Description of Symbol



Name:

A Taste of ArchetypesDirections: Fill in the right column completely by locating examples of the archetypal image in Fahr-enheit 451 and explaining its significance.

Archetype Meaning Example from Fahrenheit 451

1. The color black (darkness)

2. The color red

3. The color white (light)

4. Snake or serpent


This color often signifies the unknown, death, the uncon-scious, evil, or great power.

This color often signifies blood, violence, and chaos.

As a positive color, it signifies purity and innocence; in its negative aspects, it represents death and terror.

The snake is nearly always

Fahrenheit 451 (1)

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